Yeah, it's a novel. He's trying to sell books. Although I am pretty sure that he stole some of his ideas from Monty Python's Search for the Holy Grail, which we all know comes straight from the pencil of God. So parts of it must be true.
Cognitive_Dissident
JoinedPosts by Cognitive_Dissident
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39
Nun confronts Hanks over 'Da Vinci Code'
by William Penwell inread this today on cnn.
the other night there was some catholic scholar referring to the book as being fiction.
i was confused as to whether he was referring to the "da vinci code" or the "bible"?
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Cognitive_Dissident
I was one for a couple of years, I just didn't realize it.
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As you got baptised a j.w., did you truly agree with all j.w. teachings?
by hubert in's that weren't born into the cult.. were there any teachings, doctrine, etc.
that you still had a hard time accepting, even though you were going to be baptised into the org.?.
which policies and teaching?.
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Cognitive_Dissident
For me agreeing or disagreeing didn't really enter into it. They weren't things that required agreement or disagreement, they just were. I was raised a JW, though, so indoctrination started early. At 17, at the convention, I just remember trying to really convince myself that I fully grasped the weight of the decision that I had made, and trying to show that seriousness by my demeanor. I also remember that just before I went out to take the plunge, I had to sign a piece of paper that they didn't give us time to read, and I was disturbed that everyone involved was so business-like about the whole thing. They didn't seem to care that I was making a life changing decision. Now I know that it's because they really didn't.
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A Customer really pissed me off yesterday at work: SHE WANTS TO PRAY for me
by Terry ini work in a bookstore that specializes in buying its goods directly from the public second-hand and reselling them at half price.. .
it is a large chain of 83 stores in 8 states and does about 100 million a year.. .
i'm in charge of the religion and the philosophy sections.. .
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Cognitive_Dissident
I don't think that was an overreaction, Terry. It would have pissed me off, too. If someone hears that I have a broken leg, or a family member in the hospital, and tells me they are going to pray for me, I have no problem with that. But that's an entirely different thing. When a person offers to pray for someone to alleviate physical or emotional suffering, they (most of the time) don't assume that the prayer is going to miraculously heal the person, it's more a show of support and compassion. But when someone spouts off like that lady did, it's just maddening arrogance. The assumption that you just don't understand, like a parent talking to a child in simple platitudes, is absolutely infuriating. Personally, it's not the praying for me that makes me mad, it's the arrogance, assumption, and condescension. And that applies across the board, no matter what the topic of conversation.
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What did the "Godly Obedience" District Conventions really achieve?
by truthseeker inthis is a re-print of a post found on e-watchman's discussion board, a public forum.
it has a few interesting tidbits in there.
thought you might be interested.. by the way, does jwd have a policy about using posts from other boards, even if credit to the original author is given?.
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Cognitive_Dissident
after attending saturday's morning session for reasons completely other than wanting to be there, the line of
nonreasoning that stood out to me in glaring relief was this one - questioning the elders is tantamount to questioning the congregational arrangement, and since the congregational arrangement is from Jehovah, questioning the elders is the same as questioning God. They didn't even try to hint at it - the speaker actually said the words "questioning the elders is the same as questioning God." I wanted to frisbee toss my songbook from the balcony.
The only way the WTBTS makes sense is as a business model. Completely devoid of human compassion and integrity, and concerned only with its own propagation.
I definitely agree that there seems to be a note of desperation as of late. And I think it's tangible in everyone that's still inside. Since 1975 there has been no year to set everyone's sights on(obviously because they don't want to add another failed prophecy to the list). And I think that feeling of speeding forward in the dark, with no idea of how far or how long, is beginning to stretch everyone thin. -
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Being pressured to goto meetings,
by crankytoe inhi everyone, all i wanted was a bible study, now we're at the point where we read 2 chapters in knowledge book, and the discussion turns to how i forsaking the inciting with others to worship,(something like that).
is there anything i can say to get them to accept that i'll go when/if i feel like going?.
this past weekend, they kept asking me what obstacles were in my way, i said i haven't had time, they go yeah you say that but there has to be something else, .
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Cognitive_Dissident
hey Crankytoe, as Oroborus21 said, try to get a feel for ALL of the doctrine and practice that is involved with being a JW before you commit to meetings, or for sure before going over the questions for baptism(depending on how quickly they want to move you along). Disfellowshipping is definitely one that is rarely, if ever discussed in any detail while you're still studying but which is the whip that is forever at your back once baptized. And keep in mind that right now, since you are only studying, you are given much greater latitude to ask questions and disagree. If you should choose to go to meetings, as you attend more and more, the expectation that the others in the Kingdom Hall have of you will go up. With more exposure to "the truth", your thinking is expected to start aligning itself with the group mind. And the longer you're around, any questioning or disagreement becomes evidence that you are not one of the sheeplike ones that who will become a member of the "great crowd" that will survive Armageddon.
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Cognitive_Dissident
Yeah, you could do whatever you wanted, but like steve said, be prepared for the consequences. And although for stuff like fornication and voting the consequences were pretty spelled out, it was that grey area(that wasn't really a grey area) of matters of conscience that was just stupid. It was the ol' "We'll leave it up to your consciences to decide, BUT YOU SURE AS HELL BETTER MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION!" guilt trip. Which was all the time.
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Deny this! Brooklyn! I dare you
by stevenyc ini'm to angry right now to write a complete synopsis on the following article from the watchtower.
it regarding child molestation and repressed memories.
i'll put in one quote, and leave this rest for you to read at your leasure.. ps, probably worth copying this because i would be surprised if they will leave it up much longer!.
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Cognitive_Dissident
Ok, so correct me if I'm wrong on this one, but a person can actually be disfellowshipped if two witnesses see that one coming out of the home of a person of the opposite sex, if it is known that they were alone together, especially after dark, even though the two witnesses didn't actually see anything happen. But when it comes to despicable criminal behavior perpetrated on a child, the witnesses are required to actually witness the event? I really hate those policy writing mothe!$%&*ers in Brooklyn.
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Very good apologetics for honest seekers
by Shining One inare you tired of the arrogant assertions of the elite ex-jw clique here?
here is some powerful ammunition to "demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of god"!
http://www.carm.org/evidence.htm .
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Cognitive_Dissident
: Doing what JWs do is not my idea of good exgesis.
Rex, the impact of pretentious diction is lost when you don't spell the word correctly. Not that you're going over anyone's head anyway.
Regarding miracles and their given definitions, peaceful pete, you made an excellent point when you said "Miracles are not unexplained events, they are events being explained as supernatural." That is a huge distinction. By calling something a miracle, you've then closed the door on further discovery. A person who has tied their belief in miracles to the strength of their faith is going to resist scientific refutation of a so called miracle with everything they can muster. Because who wants a scientist telling them they lack faith, right? Oh, shoot, gotta go, my dog is chasing his tail again.